In order to permit a vehicle driver to both drive and control painting of stripes along a highway from the vehicle cab while driving to follow a designated painting path, such as typically formulated by a previously painted stripe, a set of pre-aligned markers, or the edge of the road, there have been developed driver's video monitoring systems for monitoring a designated path position to aid the driver in steering the striper vehicle to accurately paint the stripe along the designated path. For example, C. F. Brown, Jr. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,101,175, Aug. 20, 1963 for ROAD STRIPING MACHINE WITH ELECTRONIC SIGHT has a video monitor in the truck cab for monitoring the truck position relative to the designated striping pattern to be followed.
Another example is a commercial highway striping system available from Graco, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn. with a truck cab mount video monitor viewing a pointer in front of the vehicle. Thus, the single driver-painter steers to locate the pointer on a designated path such as a formerly painted roadway stripe while viewing the video monitor in the cab.
However, these systems have no provisions for tracking deviations incurred when the painting vehicle rounds curved stripe patterns because the viewed reference point is separated from the striping gun position, and thus precisely locates the painted stripe on the designated pattern only for straight line striping.
Both these systems also pose the serious problem of driving safety by requiring the operator when driving the painting vehicle down the roadway to divide viewing time and mental attention to tracking coordination between the roadway being driven, the video monitor in the cab and the painting system controls in the cab. A significant problem is posed in viewing a video monitor in bright sunlight, which is a significant safety problem that may interrupt a driver's focus on safe driving down the roadway while taking a more concentrated look at a dim viewing monitor.
Furthermore, in towed trailer or rear mount truck paint striping systems, there is a significant tracking problem in painting stripes having a curved pattern, since the rear end does not track around a curve similarly to the front end of the truck where the driver sights and follows a striping pattern such as a previously painted roadway stripe.
As evidenced by W. R. Mitchell in U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,928, Nov. 22, 1966 for HYDRAULIC COMPENSATION OF HIGHWAY STRIPING EQUIPMENT, the problem of compensating for mistracking encountered in following highway stripe markers about curves in the highway when rear painting gun mounts are mounted behind a truck is treated and solved by employment of a hydraulically driven servo system linked to the truck steering system to laterally move the paint striper gun with rotation of the steering wheel over a pattern compensating for the tendency to mistrack.
This system however cannot be adapted to a variety of striping vehicles.
Other systems of compensation require steering by a second striper person riding a steerable trailer being towed behind the truck, such as the trailer disclosed in J. P. Oakley's U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,358 of Aug. 21, 1968 for MARKER BUTTON SETTER. The requirement of a two man painting crew, one to drive and one to steer is too labor intensive to use for many competitive striping operations.
Other guidance systems for paint stripers include U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,854, M. Corres, et al., Oct. 1, 1991 for HIGHWAY GUIDANCE VEHICLE SYSTEMS and U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,061, H. Stenemann, et al., Oct. 22, 1991 for TRUCK MOUNTED PAVEMANT MARKING APPLICATOR.
While these systems are controlled by a single operator, they cannot track the newly painted stripe when the vehicle is rounding a curve.
Thus, this invention has the objectives of providing a striping system that compensates for tracking errors encountered in curved striping patterns that achieves high speed roadway striping operations under control of a single driver-operator.
A more explicit objective of the invention is to provide a safer highway road striping system providing the driver with a performance monitor and striping controls that can be used without requiring the driver to take eyes off the road.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be found throughout the following description, drawings and claims.